By Adedapo Adesanya
With almost 8,000 people dead globally as result of the coronavirus pandemic, governments all over the world have put in place restrictions on travel, many airports have been closed, as airlines have even started reducing travels.
But in Nigeria, travel restrictions have not been put in place despite calls to the federal government to quickly place a ban on human inflows from high-risk countries, especially in Europe.
On Tuesday, Nigeria confirmed its third case of COVID-19 and the person is a 30-year old Nigerian who returned to the country from the United Kingdom few days ago.
The third case intensified calls for closure of the borders in order to stop the spread of the deadly disease in the country.
Instead, the FG only placed a ban on foreign travels to all public and civil servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other government parastatals.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, at the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the Control of the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria yesterday, said the decision was taken curtail further spread of the virus.
He asked civil servants to shelve all seminars, meetings, bilateral, multilateral, conferences and workshops slated for foreign countries.
According to him, the ban remains in place until the situation on the containment of the virus abates.
However, nothing was said about people coming into the country, with the Minister of Health, Mr Osagie Ehanire, noting that with only three cases with zero fatality, the need to put flight ban was under consideration.
The Health Ministry said there would be a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for anyone entering the country from China, Italy, France, Germany, Japan among others and noted that if there was a possible victim, the government was going to step in.
Other nations are placing restriction on countries with high cases, with Nigeria’s West African neighbour, Ghana barring entry for all travellers, except Ghanaian citizens and permanent residents, who have visited a country with at least 200 recorded cases of COVID-19 in the last 14 days, effective on March 17.
Others like Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, and Chad (which has recorded no case) have all shut their airports to countries tagged as high risks.
Many health stakeholders have since called for the closure of the country’s national borders. According to president of the National Medical Association (NMA), Mr Francis Faduyile, it was high time the country took the decision to close its airport to countries with high cases of coronavirus.
On the part of the president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, he said “When people come from countries with high prevalence of coronavirus, they should do compulsory quarantine. Suppose the people you ask to do self-quarantine refuse and go about their businesses, what would happen? They would spread the virus.”
“I personally do not subscribe to closing borders. If everyone closes his borders, what do you think will happen to the world? There are still necessary travels that need to be done. But if you travel, ensure you self-quarantine,” he added.
The legislative arm, the House of Representatives and the Senate, also asked the federal government to toe the line of several other countries that have shut down their borders, schools, markets and banned public gatherings.
Before the third case was announced yesterday, the federal government had said it was not considering a travel ban on countries with active spread of the virus. But the Senate in addition to the ban and other prevention and control practices said that Nigeria should as well restrict travels to worst-hit countries to curb the spread of the virus.
UPDATE:
Nigeria has now placed a ban on 13 countries believed to be high risks.
